


All's Fair in Love and Scrabble

by CinnamonDjinn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Get these boys some water, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, Keith (Voltron) Is Trying, M/M, Nudity, Shiro is a Tease (Voltron), Shiro is also thirsty, Team as Family, background allurance, keith is thirsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinnamonDjinn/pseuds/CinnamonDjinn
Summary: Growing up, Keith never learned how to play a bunch of house-standard board games, Scrabble included. While on vacation, Shiro attempts to teach him. At first it goes wrong but then it goesoh soright.
Relationships: Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 94
Collections: Sheith Prompt Party 2020





	All's Fair in Love and Scrabble

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Keith's opinion on the various games mentioned within is his alone and do not reflect that of the author's or the game’s standing in real life. Except for Candyland - I said it ‘cause I meant it 😜
> 
> Also apologies in advance if any usage of my Japanese is incorrect. If you wouldn’t mind telling me so I could correct it I would greatly appreciate it!

The cabin’s immense front door creaked when Allura pressed it open, her touch on the oak wood reverent. The sound filled Keith’s chest with an unexpected nostalgia as he followed Allura across the threshold. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed the little things on Earth like wooden doors and aged porches, the smell of pine and the crisp air that only winter could offer.

Back when the team had first contemplated a group trip as a way to celebrate the end of the ten thousand year war Keith hadn’t given it much thought in terms of where they would go. Regardless he found himself grateful that they did pick this remote cabin lost in the northern California woods. It stood tall and proud with its two floors and high roof, its four bedrooms completely furnished and the remaining rooms spacious yet comfortably snug like a security blanket. The smell of fresh dirt moistened with a day old snow filled the air even before they exited the jeeps they’d driven up in. While the rest of the team stretched their legs and started to unpack the vehicles, Keith had followed Allura up the porch stairs and in through the entryway - even outside of a war he just couldn’t feel comfortable until he scoped out the area.

“What do ya think?” The Black Paladin asked his Pink peer as they both took in their surroundings. Despite the antiquated look it was obvious that the caretaker had gone through great lengths to keep the house clean. The sprawling rug that lay across the dustless wooden floor looked freshly vacuumed and despite the high ceilings there wasn’t a cobweb in sight. The front room they had just entered was comfortably sized and also opened to a hallway that led to the rest of the house. “Not quite the look of the castle on New Altea, I imagine.”

Allura shook her head but nonetheless wore an open smile, her eyes greedily taking in the sight. “Maybe not, but it’s lovely nonetheless! It  _ feels _ like a home, so quaint and warm.” She turned to face him, an earnest and pleased expression on her face. “I’m glad we decided to stay on Earth. I know this isn’t exactly ‘getting away’ for you all but it’s wonderful to experience the diversity that your planet has to offer!”

“Trust me,” came a jovial voice from behind. Allura and Keith both pivoted to see Shiro working his way up the steps, two suitcases clutched in one hand and a third clasped in the other. He carefully dispensed them just inside the door before continuing, “I think the lot of us could use being home for a while. Plus it’s still far enough from the Garrison to count as a vacation.” There was a definite truth to his words; it was a well known fact that the Garrison had been working Shiro to the bone before they had left. Not to say that they  _ all  _ hadn’t been working hard since the war ended - there were so many people and places that needed help recovering - but if the trip thus far had only included packing, a plane flight, and a three hour drive into the mountains with Shiro himself being one of said drivers, the fact that he was already looking much more refreshed and energetic said something.

Thumping steps broke Keith out of his thoughts. Seconds later Pidge zoomed up the stairs with her laptop bag strapped to her back and her duffel between both arms. “I get the master bedroom! I call dibs!” The three Coalition leaders quickly stumbled back to make space as she rushed past them and down the hall.

More steps followed behind, Lance close on her heels but struggling under the weight of both his and Allura’s luggage (his being double the size of hers). He stopped not far into the room, doubled over wheezing from the effort. “What!” He choked out between pants. “No way! Allura and I should get it - ,” another gasp, “- we’re the only couple here!”

Allura just gave a humored smile before taking both suitcases from Lance and effortlessly lifting them onto her shoulders. “It’s fine, Lance. We can push together the beds in one of the other rooms if need be.” Her consolation must have worked because the Red Paladin looked up at her with a blush before shyly nodding and trailing after her down the hall.

Another voice came from behind, this time belonging to a struggling Hunk. “Pidge…! Could use your help please! Your computer is kind of heavy!” Both Shiro and Keith turned to see the poor Yellow Paladin teetering at the bottom of the porch stairs, Pidge’s workstation blocking his face from view. 

Keith trotted down the steps, grabbing the other side of the system. “I got ya.”

“Phew! Thanks buddy!” Hunk breathed, his relieved face finally visibly now that they were sharing the weight between them. “Don’t know how I would have gotten this up these stairs alone.”

“Or up to the master bedroom,” Keith dryly commented as they worked their way up the porch steps and through the entry way door that Shiro was holding open for them. “It’s on the second floor.”

Hunk groaned. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me...”

Shiro watched fondly as the pair continued down the hall and disappeared out of sight. He then headed back down the porch to the jeeps where Coran was finishing unloading. The advisor had eagerly taken to the outdoor theme and was wearing a garishly-vibrant plaid shirt coupled with cowboy boots and what looked to be uncomfortably tight jeans fixed with an enormous buckle. Nevertheless, he was upbeat and enthused as ever.

“I must say!” Coran began as soon as Shiro was in earshot. He was hefting one of the plastic bins full of food; the Altas captain picked up the other. “I’m rather excited to try this ‘marshmallow roasting’ Hunk was talking about - these ‘some-mores’, was it?”

Shiro chuckled. “Technically that’s what they’re called.” He locked up the last vehicle with his free hand before they started indoors. “We just call them ‘s’mores for short.”

“Well, we shall certainly see if it lives up to the name,” Coran smiled. The two moved into the country-style kitchen and began placing the food they had brought into open cabinets and the refrigerator. “Either way, I’m eager to experience what this trip has to offer!”

Shiro couldn’t help but return the smile. “Me too.”

* * *

The first day passed rather uneventfully which fit the team just right. After a couple years stuck in space and in the midst of an intergalactic war no less they could  _ use _ uneventful. Bedrooms were claimed with Pidge taking the lone master bedroom on the second floor (her diminutive size juxtaposed to the enormous bed she had claimed was laughable). To the left of her room was Coran’s and Hunk’s and to the right was Allura’s and Lance’s - the latter of which ended up having a queen size bed so no bed-pushing was required. Shiro and Keith were more than happy to take the lone guest bedroom on the ground floor. Shiro jokingly passed it off as old-age messing with his knees but everyone knew that he would rest better if he was closest to the front door, and Keith wasn’t much different.

Once that debacle was over, the group had split off to do their own things, only returning once Hunk rang the metaphorical dinner bell. One delicious meal later the team lazed about, some outside by the fire pit making s’mores, the rest relaxing inside to keep warm from the winter chill. Keith himself stood in front of the hallway closet idly browsing a stack of board games that had caught his eye. There were so many and he hadn't seen most of them before. His father and he never had much around the house before it had burnt down: just a few sets of dominoes, of dice, and of playing cards. With those alone and the plethora of games his father had known that used them, it was more than enough to keep them entertained during those quiet desert nights.

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts, and it was a sign that his counseling sessions were working that he didn’t flip the owner of said hand over his shoulders. It still didn’t stop him from jumping in place.

“Whoa!” Shiro eased, raising both hands in a placating manner. “Not often that I get the drop on you. Are you okay?”

Keith let out a breath to calm himself before returning an easy smile. “Yeah, sorry, just got lost in thought.”

The older man paused as if to say something before nodding and looking to the wall of games instead. “Oh wow, that’s quite a collection! Maybe we can get some of the others to join in for a game or two tonight?”

The current Black Paladin looked to the former. “Maybe. You know how to play any of them?”

“Of course! Wait,” Shiro’s tone held an honest curiosity and was not at all patronizing. “Are you saying you don’t?”

Keith shrugged, perusing the stacks one more. “I mean I’ve heard of some of these but we never had board games around the house before Dad passed. And after, well…” He trailed off. 

Shiro nodded sympathetically before smiling. “Well hey, let’s see if we can’t change that! Take a look to see if there are any you might want to play. I’ll go ask around and see who’s interested.”

“Ok.” As his best friend exited back into the dining room, Keith pulled out his data pad, searching online for each of the games.  _ Pidge would be proud _ , he thought idly, smirking to himself,  _ resorting to tech because that’s lazier than pulling each of the games out. _ Based on what his search results uncovered, he could guess the house was stocked for all kinds of visitors. Some of the games were aimed at children, like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders ( _ seriously? There was no strategy - how could they be any fun? _ ). The one called Twister seemed interesting enough since you actually had to move your body. Trivial Pursuit sounded like both a bore and also an impossibility when paired against Pidge, especially for the Alteans who were just beginning to learn Terran culture. 

The Scrabble one sounded like it might be a good fit. It could be a chance to share knowledge of the different cultures across the team, assuming that Altean words could even be modeled in the English alphabet. And depending on how many wanted to play, he thought as he read on, they could pair up in teams…

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

Even Keith's bewildered brain could remotely register his face flushing bright red. He scanned the rules once more, just to make sure he hadn’t misread anything.

Nope, he definitely read that right the first time.

Well okay then. There really  _ were _ games for all sorts of parties here. Keith thankfully swiped the rules list away just in time for Lance to bound into the room, clasping his hands on both of Keith’s shoulders.

“Hey buddy!” The lankier paladin grinned. “I heard you guys needed some extra people to play a game or two. Which one are you thinking?”

Keith was still too shell-shocked to even berate him about the invasion of his personal space. “I, uh…”

“Not sure?” Lance released him to instead move closer to the stacks on the shelves, squatting in front of the bottom ones. While he was looking the games over, Shiro and Hunk walked into the living room as well. “Hmm. How about some Pictionary?” The Red Paladin carefully slid the game out and stood back up, showing it off to Keith. “You seemed to like the drawing challenge for Garfle Warfle Snick! Even if, you know, you weren’t good at it.”

_ That _ was enough to snap Keith out of his fugue state. He crossed his arms and glared. “Just because  _ you _ were the only one who couldn’t figure them out-!”

“Oh man you weren’t kidding about the games, Shiro,” Hunk interjected as he brushed past his once-fellow classmates. “Hey, they’ve got Boggle! I haven’t seen that in forever. Oh, and Scrabble! I’d be down for that!”

And just like that Keith suddenly forgot his squabble with Lance. His eyes went wide and he gulped before shaking his head. “No! No Scrabble!”

All three of the other Paladins turned at his outburst. Each of them looked perplexed, staring at him as if he had grown a second head. “Wha-?” Hunk started.

_ How are they  _ okay  _ with playing  _ that _?!  _ Lance he could get but Hunk and Shiro wanting to play something like that? He couldn't even fathom it. “I-I mean… Lance’s right, we should play Pictionary! Come on!” Keith snatched the game out of Lance’s hands before awkwardly stomping back to the family room once more. The sharpshooter didn’t berate him for it, too bewildered to even speak. He and the other two Paladins shared a confused look among each other before shrugging and following Keith into the other room.

* * *

The Northern California air may have been cold but the family room was comfortably warm. It reminded Keith a lot of the stereotypical lodges seen in old movies. There was an old fashioned log fireplace that he had gotten lit earlier with hardly any trouble (Hunk had attempted but admitted the only fires he could start were the ones that required a knob). In front of that lay an enormous (albeit artificial) bear skin rug. The entire team was gathered around the coffee table next to it - Allura and Pidge had actually enjoyed the drawing game Bob had forced upon them and Coran was eager to see what all of the fuss was about.

Keith was just happy that he wouldn't have to suffer a pacifier this time.

Two hours and four Pictionary games later and the evening energy was finally beginning to wane. Even the fire seemed ready to turn in for the night, its vivid flames softening as it began to nestle into the bed of ashes below it. It was 11PM but given their early start to the day and all of the traveling Keith couldn't blame them for all of the yawning. 

"That's it," Hunk groaned, standing up from his rocking chair, his joints popping along the way. "I can't go on. Need some sleep so I can make us breakfast in the morning."

"Yeah, same," Pidge added, moving to stand as well. She had been seated next to Keith on the bear-skin rug by the fire. Said rug had traumatized Allura and Coran given how much it looked like a klanmüirl, even though the rest of the team assured them it was fake. In the end it was just easier to let them have the couch.

Speaking of which, sleep had already claimed Allura who at some point during the last game had nodded off against Lance. He smiled fondly as he gently jostled her shoulder. She grumbled in response. "Hey Starshine," he almost whispered. "You ready for bed?" The only response he received was an incoherent and tired grumble.

"Here," Coran gestured, moving off the couch and over to the duo. "I'll help you get the princess upstairs."

"Thanks Coran. Night everyone!" The two looped Allura’s arms over each of their shoulders. Her muttering turned grumpy, her eyes partially opened as they helped her walk out of the room and up the stairs. Hunk and Pidge trailed closely behind.

Keith watched them leave, lost in thought. His attention was then caught when he heard a throat clear from beside him. Turning he saw that Shiro was still sitting in the room's only recliner; he hadn't made any motion to stand.

"Doing okay?" He asked. Keith contemplated his answer before responding honestly.

"Yeah actually. That was pretty fun." He couldn't stop the smile from making itself known on his lips. "Truth be told I didn't know what to expect from this trip but it's been really good so far. I think we needed this."

"Same here. Hey…" Shiro ran a hand through the silver locks on the back of his head - if Keith didn't know better the other man looked a bit ...uncertain? "I'm not really feeling tired yet. Up for hanging out a little longer?"

Like Keith would  _ ever _ give up free time with Shiro. Hell, it was the only reason he said yes to the vacation in the first place. “Sure. Have something in mind?”

The Atlas captain gestured with a thumb over his shoulder at the wall of board games. “Seems like we’ve still got a bunch of games for you to try out and most of them work with just two people. Interested?”

Keith nodded but before he could even start to move, Shiro was standing in front of him, offering him a hand. He gratefully took it all the while trying not to relish the touch too much or to feel a pang of loss when his hand was released. Together the two walked back to the stacks of games. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Mmmm.” Shiro’s eyes held a playful glint. “You pick.”

“I picked the last one.”

“Yeah, and I’ve played all of these before. So tell me, Ace, what’s next in line?”

The Blade perused through the games once more. Really, they could play anything and as long as it was just Shiro and him he would be happy. Besides, none of them really stood out -

His navy eyes trailed over the words “Scrabble”.

\-  _ except for one _ .

He swallowed nervously. This had bad-idea written all over it. But he always  _ was _ all about the reckless plans, the kind where you jumped first and thought later. And when he signed up to this trip, it wasn’t just to spend some time with Shiro. 

The last few phoebs of the war had been chaotic, the time that followed tumultuous to say the least, and all throughout it despite Shiro and Keith working together as part of the Voltron Coalition, sometimes it felt like they were worlds apart. They hardly spoke about anything outside of the war since they first returned to Earth. And while there had been a brief celebration period when Allura had escaped from the nexus of all realities, it was swiftly overtaken by all of the responsibilities the Paladins had. Even Shiro had gotten called away mid-party to deal with an ambassador that had unexpectedly arrived planet-side. 

For a while, Keith had feared that maybe something wasn’t right between the two of them. He had begun to wonder if it would ever be like the old days when Shiro and he would hang out in the Garrison garage working on a hoverbike or lounging around in Shiro’s apartment after Adam had left. But then Lance had pitched the idea of a no-comms-on (for Shiro, anyway) vacation trip and the silver-haired man had turned to Keith with a look that bordered pleading and asked if he would go. Suddenly it didn’t seem like there was quite an impassable rift between them anymore. 

Plus Keith couldn’t say no to those puppy-dog eyes even if he wanted to.

Which he hadn’t.

“Didn’t think picking a game would be so hard.” A large hand on his shoulder and Shiro’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over to the man who had a playful yet ever-so-slightly concerned look. “Are you sure you’re doing alright?”

It wasn’t hard for Keith to spare him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking that this has been the most we’ve been together for something other than a Coalition event or a Garrison meeting in a long time.”

He hadn’t meant it to be a dig, just an honest answer; still Shiro frowned, his hand slipping off of Keith’s shoulder. “I… yeah. I’m sorry for that.”

Keith shot him a confused and stunned look before shaking his head. “Shiro, it’s not your fault. I think out of all of us you needed this vacation the most. I’m amazed you’ve even gotten time to sleep and eat while at the Garrison. No one blames you for being busy, least of all me.”

“I blame me, though.” Keith opened his mouth to retort but Shiro shook his head firmly. “Ever since… the fight… I’ve been pushing myself away from others. Away from you. Things just got so overwhelming and I didn’t know how to handle it all. Then one day it was like I woke up and saw a distance between myself and the others. Between myself and you. And I didn’t know how to fix it. I’m sorry.”

With gentle fingers Keith carefully grasped Shiro’s wrist. “But you’re here now. We’ve got time.”

“Yeah…” Shiro gazed forlornly down at where they were joined, then looked back up with a remorseful smile. “I wish we could have been in the same car on the drive up though,” he admitted.

The honest confession both surprised Keith and warmed his heart. He gave Shiro’s wrist a squeeze before letting go. “Me too.” Then he shot Shiro a smirk. “But would you have really wanted to trust Lance with one of the cars? Or Hunk with the sheer drops on the mountain road side? I don’t think Pidge’s feet would have even reached the pedals.”

His snark easily lightened the mood; Shiro chuckled before playfully pushing on Keith’s shoulder. “You’re terrible! And right. But still terrible.”

“Hey, I don’t make the facts - I just tell ‘em straight,” Keith shrugged, still grinning. “But what if you and I take one of the jeeps out tomorrow? Grab some lunch and go gallivanting into the forest to see what we can find?”

“Sounds like my kind of day,” Shiro answered breathily, returning the smile. “But I’m not ready to give up on today just yet.” He gestured his head back toward the games. “So what’ll it be, Team Lead?”

This time Keith didn’t need to think twice. When he had signed up for this trip he had made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t just try to spend as much time with Shiro as possible; by the end of it he would also come clean with his feelings. He didn’t want to wait around anymore to see if Shiro remembered their fight, or more importantly what Keith had said during it. ‘Patience yields focus’ only got him so far and he was beginning to worry that if he didn’t take any action soon that the whole thing would slip through his fingers. So what if his first action would be a little daring? Shiro could always say no and it would be okay.

Leap before you look.

Still, his bravado didn’t keep him from bashfully winding a lock of hair behind his ear. “What about ...Scrabble?”

Shiro’s eyes widened as expected but it only lasted for a moment. “Didn’t think you were interested in that one, given how you reacted before.”

Keith blushed. “Well,  _ yeah _ , I mean, I don’t want to play it with other people! But… just with you is good.”

The taller man shot him a fond smile before sliding the board game out. “Well I can’t say no to that!” The two of them walked back to the coffee table, Keith sitting on the side with the rug, Shiro on the side adjacent. The latter pulled open the lid. “Lemme see if I can find the rules for you.”

“No need,” Keith politely shook his head, lifting up his data pad for display. “Got ‘em right here.”

“Ooo, have you been planning this?” Shiro teased as he set the game up for them both. “Am I in for some trouble?”

“Just wanted to know what I was getting myself into.” The younger adult flushed; flirting had never been his forte. “...And only if you want to be.”

Shiro looked caught off guard at first but then gave a small smile, the lines of his cheeks ever so pink. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He put down his first word, easily over the minimum number of points to avoid a penalty.

On Keith’s turn he was lucky enough to make the cut. On his second, not so much. Two points shy of what he needed.

He bit his lip and looked up at Shiro who didn’t seem to mind, already writing the points down on a little pad of paper that came with the game. Maybe he wasn’t holding Keith accountable to the rules given it was his first time. Still, Keith never backed out from a challenge and it was  _ his _ idea after all.

He quickly removed a sock and stowed it aside, not wanting to give himself a chance to think it through. The motion caught Shiro’s attention, but he quickly disregarded it, moving to place his new set of tiles on the board. Again it was well over the minimum limit.

“Wow, you’ve played this before, haven’t you,” Keith commented, impressed. 

Shiro gave a sheepish shrug. “Adam was a huge fan of it.” It was a testament to the progress of Shiro’s healing that the words rolled off of his tongue without regret or self-blame, which Keith was glad for.

It was also a testament to how screwed Keith would be in this game, which he was  _ not _ glad for. For some silly reason the swordsman would have thought they’d be equally matched. Not the case, as evidence of Keith losing his other sock only another turn later. This time Shiro raised an eyebrow, but still said nothing.

Keith was suddenly regretting his lack of layers. Maybe he should have started taking Lance’s fashion advice when it came to accessorizing?

… Okay, no, he wasn’t  _ that _ desperate.

...Yet, anyway.

Thankfully, luck decided to be on his side next turn - his sacrificed sock had earned him just the vowel he needed for laying down ‘ever’.

“Hmm,” Shiro pondered, his thumb and forefinger gently pinching his own chin in thought. “Interesting play, but I don’t think ‘evermore’ counts as one word.”

“Psh, you’re just saying that because it makes me that much closer to catching up with you!”

The older pilot smirked. “Nope, no, pretty sure you’re making it up.”

Keith crossed his arms, tilting his head back and side-eyeing him loftily. “Then look it up if you’re so sure.”

“Maybe I will!” Shiro amicably snarked back before pulling out his comm unit. He peered back up. “Permission to turn on my comm for non-work reasons?”

“Permission granted.”

Shaking his head in an amused manner, Shiro quickly typed for a moment before peering back up. “Huh, it’s an adverb. Dammit, I guess you were right.”

Keeping up his charade, Keith haughtily gestured toward the paper pad. “I’ll take my 16 points, thank you very much.”

“Har, har! Fine, you win this time.” One quick scribble later and Keith was only down by 10 points. A  _ marginally _ better outcome at least. Shiro peered back to the board. “Phew, you didn’t leave me much to work with.”

Keith simpered. “Now you know what the last three turns have felt like. You gonna be able to make the cut?”

“Oh ye of little faith!” As Shiro looked back to his stand of letters, Keith couldn’t stop the anticipation that crept into his chest. This might be the first time the Captain wouldn’t make the safe score -

“Ah! This should work.” A simple ‘er’ to the end of the word ‘add’, the ‘e’ also happening to fit the end of the adjacent word “mor”. The combination was well over the minimum safe score.

Keith groaned. The two-fold disappointment tasted like ash. So much for the 10 point spread. Meanwhile Shiro was trying and failing to not look smug, almost childishly so. “There, there, these things happen,” he teased.

The groan turned into a growl. “I’ll make you eat those words.”

Except no, he would not. 

Fate must have decided it couldn’t bear witness to this tragedy any longer and seemed to be trying to grant him a quick defeat. What the hell was he supposed to do with a ‘Q’  _ and _ an ‘X’?! He sighed and glanced hopelessly at the board once more, looking for any sort of playable option and finding none. He looked up again and saw Shiro watching him knowingly.  _ Fine _ , he thought to himself as he switched out the ‘X’ for a new letter. This wasn’t about winning the game, at least not via points. 

His fingers skimmed the collar of his jacket. In fact, even a social recluse like him saw the moment for what it was: an opportunity to flirt. It didn’t feel so unnatural if he treated it like sparring, where he could wield his confidence like a second skin. Keith forced himself to make eye contact with Shiro, hoping his face looked cocky and not constipated, and slowly began to edge the garment of clothing down his shoulders.

He lasted all of two seconds before blushing hard and dropping his gaze, too shy to keep it up.

_ Ugh, why is this so difficult?! _

“Feeling warm?” Came Shiro’s voice, no longer so smug but perhaps curious and a bit surprised.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Keith looked back up just in time to see Shiro look away, a faint blush on his face. Huh, maybe he had managed to not completely bungle the attempt after all. “Your move.”

The taller man cleared his throat before nodding. He must not have had much in the way of letters to work with because without giving it much thought he quickly played down an ‘S’ on ‘bear’, the total score coming 3 points under the safe score. _ Finally! _ Keith thought, elated.

Except Shiro made no motion to take anything off, simply instead reaching for a replacement letter. Keith waited but the other shrugged before saying, “your move?”

The half-galran bit his lip, puzzled. Was Shiro feeling self-conscious? He never had been before Kerberos but with the scars from the arena perhaps he wasn’t keen on showing off his skin anymore. Maybe Keith shouldn’t have suggested the game in the first place. Although Shiro did seem to agree to it without reservations...

Or maybe the safe score wasn’t the amount Keith thought it was? After all, they hadn’t discussed it before-hand; Keith just assumed it was fixed based on the online rules he had read. Shit, should he not have taken off his clothes on some of those plays?! It took everything in his power not to facepalm. 

No wonder Shiro had been giving him weird looks.

Going back to his letters, the new ‘T’ he had received last turn did little to make a difference. Placing said ‘T’ and an ‘E’ on the ‘A’ also did little to improve his standing and certainly did nothing to meet the minimum required score for his turn. 

At that moment he only had three articles of clothing left. Guess which three.

Taking a breath and steeling his spine, he didn’t bother trying to make eye contact again as he began to lift the shirt over his head. The garment still wrapped around his arms, he shook his bangs free only to see from behind them that Shiro had turned bright red and was openly staring. Keith flushed in response but forced himself not to cower, tempting as it may be.

“K-Keith! Um, w-what are you doing?”

Well that certainly didn’t help his waning confidence.

The swordsman cocked his head in confusion. “I… didn’t make the safe score? We’re playing to 7 points per turn, right? Isn’t that the default?”

Shiro gaped not unlike a goldfish, his jaw moving but only incoherent noises coming out. After a few uncomfortable moments he finally spoke in a much calmer voice. “Keith, we’re not playing with a safe score.”

Dread started inching its way into Keith’s chest. “...What are you talking about?”

“The normal Scrabble rules, they don’t  _ have  _ a ‘safe’ score.”

Keith could no longer fight the urge to curl his shoulders in a vain attempt to cover himself. “But aren’t we playing with the normal rules?”

The vibrant blush on Shiro’s face lessened slightly as a look of understanding began to replace it. “Can I see your comm unit, please?” Uncertain but never one to deny Shiro anything, Keith plucked it from his discarded jacket and slid it across the open space on the table. His ex-mentor snatched it up and after using the unlock code Keith had given him long ago, he opened the net browser. Taupe eyes breezily scanned line after line before Shiro handed the device back.

“Keith,” he began, seemingly struggling to stifle an endeared smile. “You’re reading the rules for Strip Scrabble.”

Keith practically choked on the word. “Strip?!”

Shiro nodded, a chuckle finally escaping his lips. “I didn’t even know there  _ were _ strip rules for Scrabble! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised someone managed to make it work.”

_ Oh. _

_ Oh, no. _

_ Oh no no nonononononono- _

His face felt like it would self combust at any moment. Of all the stupid mistakes he could have made - he had completely read the situation wrong - what would Shiro think now - how was he going to fix this - running away was always an option - he reached for his shirt, mumbling “I’m so sorry” -

But Shiro moved faster, lifting up a hand in a calm and controlled manner. Keith froze, unable to read the other man’s intention -

Then with swift fingers Shiro slyly undid the buttons of his flannel. In one fluid move he rolled it off of his shoulders and let the garment slip like water from his fingertips to the ground. 

Keith.exe stopped working.

His body felt fastened to the floor, frozen with a hand still outreached toward his already-forgotten shirt, eyes wide and transfixed as they took in Shiro’s completely bare torso. It looked like  _ someone _ had kept up their workout regimen despite the war being over. The numerous scars that laid across his toned body were worn like badges of pride, clear evidence of all of the challenges he had triumphed over in the past. Even while sitting his trimmed waistline showed off the definition of his abs, the supple hills of skin and muscle by his hips caused by his curved posture only serving to make them look even  _ more _ inviting. So firm yet so soft, Keith wondered how it would feel to wrap his arms around the Captain’s waist, to decorate the peaks of his Adonis belt with little bite marks -

That unbidden thought made him blush.  _ Hard. _

The questions Keith couldn’t figure out how to ask must have been apparent through his stunned expression. Shiro offered a shrug alongside a small but confident smile even with a blush dusting his cheeks. “I didn’t make the cut on my last turn, right? Seems only fair I catch up now that I know what the rules are.” He winked.  _ Winked. _ At  _ Keith  _ of all people.

The Blade could only continue to stare blankly. He may or may not have been drooling with the way his mouth was hanging open (not that he would ever fess up to it). Mercifully, rather than commenting on it Shiro motioned to the board instead. “Well? It’s your turn.”

Keith blinked. “I…” He looked down at the tiles scattered on his tiny little shelf. Stupefied he glanced back up at Shiro, saw the man’s expectant and ever-so-slightly eager look that only served to send his own heart racing faster. He dropped his gaze downward one more, willing his brain to jump start like an old beaten-up engine, desperately trying to remember how to even play the game.

The lengthy pause must have become uncomfortable; Shiro began to fidget in his seat. “Keith, I… If this is too much -”

“No! No. I - I got this,” Keith fervently responded, scanning the board and his letters multiple times. Finally like a light bulb coming on in his head, he found a perfect match, his eyes settling on a lone ‘A’ on the board. He grinned, snatching up the ‘Q’ and ‘Z’ that had been plaguing his shelf for most of the game as well as the five others on his rack before placing them all down on the board. Sitting back to survey his work he crossed his arms and relaxed, more than pleased with his play, a play that finally put the tide of the game in his favor.

And just like that it was like the awkwardness had never happened. Shiro stared down at the word ‘QUIZNACK’ in disbelief.

“Well?” Keith smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to add to my score? 34 points with that double letter bonus, plus don’t I get an additional 50 for clearing the rack?” It easily,  _ finally _ , put him in the lead.

“That - it -” Shiro sputtered, eyes jumping back and forth between the tiles and Keith’s face. “We never said we were using other languages!”

“Well,” the current Black Paladin nonchalantly shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact with a hint of chaffing, “we never said we were playing with Strip rules either, yet here we are.”

His dry joke only left Shiro more flabbergasted. Then the silver-haired man’s expression morphed into something more fond. “Brat. It’s so on now!”

Keith responded with a bark of laughter. “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

On his next turn, Shiro placed down three tiles to form ‘MIZU’ (“It means water in Japanese.” “I’ll believe you  _ this _ time.”). Keith retaliated by combining that ‘M’ and his ‘U’ from before to form ‘MOUNT’. As the pile of unclaimed tiles lessened, it became increasingly hard to form any words at all let alone ones to score some decent points with. Eventually Shiro caved and switched out a tile, making an elaborate show of slowly removing his watch and discarding it to the side (“Now who’s being a brat?” “No idea what you mean, none at all.”).

Keith was at least lucky to lay down some tiles on his next turn, but definitely not enough to make the safe score. He carefully moved up onto his knees and found it much easier to lock eyes with Shiro as he lazily undid his belt buckle. Gone was the urge to hide away, not with that hungry look in Shiro’s darkened gaze, pupils blown out in a way Keith had never experienced before.  _ Stars _ did Keith want that look to devour him. He tossed the belt to the taller man who easily caught it, eyes never once leaving him even when Keith sat back down. 

It felt so empowering in a way he had never experienced, to use his body as a distraction. That he  _ could _ use it as a distraction. And that it was  _ Shiro _ of all people who was distracted by it. Keith had never given much thought to his physical appearance beyond A. the bare minimum of what he needed to be socially passable, and B. Lance’s feeble attempts to insult his hair (like he really gave a damn about what his hair looked like or what Lance even thought in the first place). But with the way Shiro’s gaze was fixated on Keith, he wanted to see how far this could go. 

More than ever, he wanted to  _ win _ .

And from that competitive gleam in Shiro’s eyes, apparently so did he.

Another round passed uneventfully, only the dregs of unclaimed tiles remaining. Keith watched as Shiro’s fervent gaze scoured the board for options. Dobashes passed quietly, the Blade growing more and more restless while he waited. Resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, he jokingly complained, “Come on, Shiro - we’ll  _ both _ be old timers before this game is over.”

His response was a Scrabble tile bouncing off of his forehead and onto the ground. “Quiet, you. Don’t rush greatness!”

“We clearly have different definitions of the word ‘rush’.”

“Patience yields focus!”

Keith just smirked; he figured that line had been long due. “I’ve been waiting for you to yield for a while, Shiro.”

Truthfully he hadn’t intended any deeper meaning to it especially since he couldn’t flirt his way out of a bag, but the way Shiro gaped and blushed made him wonder just  _ how _ the former Black Paladin had interpreted it. 

Huh, maybe he could do this innuendo thing after all.

( _ Suck it, Lance. _ )

Eventually Shiro found his voice and replied, albeit reluctantly. “Fine, can I have my ‘R’ back please? I need it.”

The swordsman tossed him the piece then leaned back, smugly watching as Shiro placed the tiles to form ‘NORI’ on the board - just one point less the safe score. Despite the rough start to the game, Keith had more than made up for the loss. He had this game in the  _ bag _ .

And then Shiro stood up and began to unbutton his jeans and suddenly Keith didn’t feel so smug anymore.

Sure they had showered before in the same communal areas, had dressed in the same locker rooms. But Keith had never  _ looked _ . And  _ oh  _ was he looking now. He vaguely was aware that Shiro was staring back at him in return but he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact or even politely look away (as he knew he probably should). Nope, he was too busy committing every detail to memory, watching the dark blue clothing slide down Shiro’s thighs leaving black boxer-briefs in their wake - boxer-briefs that were stretched sinfully tight across Shiro’s hips leaving little to the imagination. And despite the dark color of the fabric Keith could still see the outline of something not-so-soft underneath.

He suddenly had a vision of himself kneeling before the taller man, his arms wrapped behind Shiro’s body, his fingers gently peeling the jean material over Shiro’s ass and down his legs, his face nuzzling into the revealed fabric and the weighted cock that lay hidden beneath. 

Well  _ that _ was something Keith had never considered before.

He tried in vain to swallow the lump stuck in his throat. That little piece of unsolicited imagery may have finally cooked the last of his brain, partly because of the realization of how badly he wanted it but also because he had never been one to think those kinds of thoughts, especially about his ex-mentor. For a moment the sound of his blood rushing through his head was all that he could hear.

“Keith?”

He blinked up at Shiro who was sitting back down at the corner next to him. When he didn’t verbally respond, the other man cocked his head with a playful smile. “Care to share with the class?”

_ No, I don’t want to share you, ever. _

Keith shook his head out of his stupor. “Nope! No. Not at all.”

That competitive glint could still be seen in Shiro’s eyes but now it was coupled with something else, something Keith couldn’t recognize or name. “Are you sure…?” He goaded.

“Nope! Ah - I mean - yep! I’m good. Gonna go now. Take my turn, I mean!” He ignored Shiro’s chuckle to look back at his rack of letters. Fuck, he had wasted all of that time staring; not that he would have given that up for the universe, but now his mind was barely functioning and nothing in the tiles looked like viable options.

“Well?” Shiro continued to prod, grinning. “Aren’t you gonna play?”

Keith glared. “What was that about not rushing greatness?”

He had expected snark in return; instead Shiro’s smile turned almost wistful. “Yeah, you are pretty great.”

The very last of Keith’s working brain cells went up in flames.

Off-kilter, Keith gave up any hope of trying to build a word with the mismatched letters he had remaining. Sighing, he tossed the ‘W’ off his shelf and picked another in return. When he glanced back up, he caught Shiro’s patient yet expectant stare.

There was no way he could make this look as good as Shiro had, but the man deserved an honest attempt. Except it was when Keith started to stand that he realized his, ah,  _ enjoyment _ of Shiro’s little performance had made itself known on his person. Physically. And not subtly, nope, not at all. 

The complete opposite of subtle, in fact: he had a full-on erection.

It was a small comfort that he knew his boxers were a little more loose than what Shiro was currently sporting, but not by much. Not enough to really obscure anything, anyway. Standing back up, his knees popping in the most unflattering of ways thanks to sitting too long, he tried to smoothly turn on the rise in a pitiful attempt to hide the evidence without making it obvious he had evidence to hide. Except the next problem was the fact that his jeans were much more form fitting than Shiro’s; they were practically leggings (‘jeggings’ Lance called them once. Keith couldn’t tell if he was joking or not). The unfortunate result meant he needed to do a bizarre shimmy of his hips to work the fabric down, bending over in the process.

Suddenly Keith found himself wishing it was he who got left behind at the crossroads of all realities and not the Lions.

As soon as the fabric was down he hastily kicked the jeans away and (with hardly any grace) fell back into a sit. He couldn’t bring himself to look up and see what Shiro thought of his pathetic little strip tease, just wishing the moment to be over. “Your turn,” he grumbled petulantly.

There was a near-silent chortle before Keith felt a hand on his shoulder. Forcing himself to look up, he saw that Shiro’s expression was warm and kind. “I don’t think you give yourself the credit you deserve sometimes,” Shiro breathlessly said, eyes full of wonder as if he were gazing upon the Calypso once more, like the day they had truly started getting to know one another. That same look that for the first time in Keith’s life made him believe that some futures were worth fighting for. 

They had spent the last five years in space; Keith hadn’t seen Shiro wear that look since before he had left for Kerberos.

It was one Keith thought he would never see again let alone in this scenario. He had worried that the taller man would have been unimpressed or at best humored. Not… whatever this was. He’d be horrifically lying if he said he didn’t like what was happening, but it left him unsure of what to say. So instead he just reiterated his prior words.

Shiro just shook his head mirthfully and a tad bit pensively. “One of these days,” he began as he started to collect his tiles to lay down, “I’m going to get you to see yourself the way I see you.”

“And how’s that?” Keith cringed at the shy pitch in his voice but it couldn’t be helped; he had to know. Even if he was nervous of the answer.  _ Especially _ because he was nervous of the answer.

Shiro was snapping a wooden ‘L’ down on the double point word slot. He looked back up at Keith, pondering his reply before shaking his head. The man kept his eyes locked on Keith’s as he slowly, carefully, knowingly said, “not all things can be answered with words.”

_ Actions speak louder, _ Keith had once heard.

Without further comment the Atlas captain finished placing his tiles, turning to add his points to his score. At the same time Keith surveyed the battlefield between them: the state of the board, the handful of unclaimed tiles that remained.

The fact that each of them were down to their last article of clothing.

Placing the pen down, Shiro sat back, his slim metal arm resting casually over one knee. He was watching Keith like a hawk, steady with a patient calm. Maybe he figured that Keith needed the time to plan out his next move. Or maybe he was a predator watching its prey, knowing Keith was cornered in game - it was hard to tell since the swordsman didn’t have the nerve to look at him.

Instead Keith kept his eyes fixed to the board, analyzing, trying to find a path forward that didn’t result in him losing the game. There had to be  _ some _ way, but none of the English words he knew would work.

None of the English words…

While in the Quantum Abyss, alongside learning more about each other Krolia also taught him a little about his galran heritage. Part of that included learning the Old Languages, the tongues spoken before the invention of translators and Universal Common. They hadn’t had much to work with, focusing on the spoken word and occasionally writing a few of the more difficult ones with a stick in the dirt. He had even figured out how to transliterate some of them into the English alphabet. 

It had also been a prime opportunity to ask Krolia about some of the words he had overheard a few of the Blades say, words his Altean translator hadn’t picked up. The guffawing and embarrassing explanation that came a tick later he could have gone without, but hey, at least it gave him a word that would currently fit on the board.

Ha, the irony.

Keith wasn’t proficient to say the least, shaky at best, but it was the only option he was going to get - he plucked off the necessary letters and dropped them onto the board.

Shiro cocked his head sideways at the addition. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

“Arewk. It’s Old Galran.”

The older man rested his weight onto his palm. “Uh huh,” he teased. “Convenient that you’ve waited until now to use any Old Galran words, right before you’re about to lose.”

“It’s true!”

“Nope,” Shiro shook his head, smirking. “I’m calling your bluff.”

The Black Paladin’s eyes narrowed. “You calling me a liar?”

“Pretty sure that’s what someone who bluffs is called.”

Keith glared at the dig before placing a hand over his heart. “You wound me. Go look it up if you can’t trust me.”

Shiro laughed. “Oh I trust you with many things,” he plainly stated as he reached for his comm unit, “and fighting dirty is one of them.”

“I… Ok, yeah, that’s fair.”

Shiro gave a self-gratified huff before powering up the device once more. “So if it’s supposedly a word, what exactly does it mean? How would you use it in a sentence?”

“‘He’s been blessed with an arewk.”

“Like that really explains it.”

Keith shot him a deadpan look. “Dick.”

Shiro held a pacifying hand up, easing up on his jabbing tone, “hey, I don’t mean anything by it - just giving you a hard time -”

“Well I’m not.” Keith crossed his arms, blowing the bangs out of his face in a ruffled manner. “That’s what it means. A really large one, to be exact.”

“I- what?” the captain stuttered, nearly dropping his phone as it started up with a beep. “How… exactly do you know that?”

“The Blades.”

A slightly feral grin edged its way across Shiro’s face. “And what exactly were you doing with the Blades when they were using that word?”

Now it was Keith’s turn to sputter. “Nothing like that! It’s just something I overheard!”

“Sure, sure,” Shiro playfully needled, waving Keith's away and turning back to his phone to type in the word. When he got to the ‘e’ he paused. For a brief moment it appeared as if he were considering something serious. Then he turned back to Keith, wrapping his fingers around the screen and shooting the younger paladin a playful look. “How about we make this interesting?”

“Now who’s playing dirty?”

“You can say no and it won’t cost you anything.”

Shiro’s placating words weren’t necessary; Keith’s interest was more than piqued to begin with. “Go on.”

“Let’s make it a bet,” Shiro began, his tone much more solemn than before. “Whoever is right gets something they want.”

That certainly made Keith pause. Betting wasn’t something they ever really did and a  _ carte blanche _ like that was a lot. Then it occurred to him. “You’re about to lose the game, aren’t you.”

“Depends on your definition of ‘lose’,” came the nonchalant response and grin.

Keith snorted. “So that’s a yes.” Still, he considered it. “Anything’s on the table?”

“Anything.”

Choices, choices. But nothing came to mind. What would he want? Frankly, he was more than satisfied with what he had presently: sitting by a warm fire on vacation, his best friend at his side, a quiet and peaceful cabin to relax in. But then out of the blue  _ that _ thought, the one that had come unbiddenly before, was back and center-stage in his head. It became the only thing he could think of to ask for. And it was a  _ lot _ , but Shiro could always say no and that would be okay.  _ They _ would be okay - after all, they had gotten this far into their evening’s charade and nothing had been damaged between them.

Plus, fortune favors the bold, or whatnot.

“If I’m right and it’s a word,  _ when _ I win -” Shiro rolled his eyes at the display of bravado. But said bravado slipped away when Keith continued, gesturing to Shiro’s hips - “I get to be the one to take those boxer-briefs off.” 

Shiro flushed brightly, eyes and mouth both wide. “K-Keith!”

The Black Paladin looked away bashfully. “If that’s okay. You can say no.”

There was a lengthy pause before Shiro finally responded with a quiet “ok”. Keith turned back to scrutinize the man’s face for any hint of hesitance, any sort of acquiescence - any sign and he would call this whole thing off - but all he saw was that same wondrous expression again. Keith could only guess at what his best friend was thinking.

“And you?” he pressed.

Shiro sucked in an unsteady breath. “If I’m right and it’s not a word, I get to kiss you.”

Of all of the things Keith thought the former Black Paladin would say, that certainly wasn’t one of them.

He stared blankly back at Shiro, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. The latter said nothing, only patiently waiting, his eyes searching Keith’s visage.

When Keith finally found his voice all he could ask was “Why?” 

Shiro offered him a sheepish smile. “Why what? Why a kiss? Or why you?”

“A-all of it!”

The silver-haired man ran his fingers through his fringe. “Remember how I said some things couldn’t be said with words?”

Oh.

_ Oh. _

His expression must have given Shiro the answer Keith sought. He nodded slowly. “You can say no.”

“Yes.”

Shiro’s eyebrows raised. “Yes as in acknowledging that you can say no or-”

“Yes.” Keith gave a curt nod, the kind he would give when Shiro called out orders for him during their Voltron days. The kind given when Shiro would ask him to jump off cliffs with their hoverbikes.

The kind that said “I’m along for this ride, no matter what.”

Shiro returned the nod. “Ok.” He sidled up to Keith, biting his lip as he unfurled his fingers around the comm screen. Keith edged closer, their thighs a breath away from touching. He peered over Shiro’s shoulder, watching as the Garrison pilot finished typing the word into the search engine. Then he hit the submit button. A few seconds later, the search results popped up.

At the top was: 

  


They both blinked.

“So it  _ is  _ a word…” Keith started.

“... But you spelled it wrong.”

“Well that’s easy enough to fix.” Keith reached to move his tiles to the nearby ‘A’, but Shiro was faster.

“Nope!” His hand snapped out and firmly yet carefully grasped Keith’s own. “You lost the challenge, so your turn is over.”

The younger paladin stared at him incredulously. “Oh come on, it was an accident! It’s not like I meant to spell it wrong!”

Shiro only grinned back, his hand unrelenting. “Them’s the rules - just admit you lost the bet!”

It was in Keith’s nature to argue, even when it came to Shiro. But for once he fought his impulse and instead shut his mouth, mulling it over for a tick. Thinking about what he  _ really _ wanted. His eyes scanned Shiro’s face; beneath the cocky exterior Keith could glimpse that  _ something _ underneath again - and he was beginning to figure out exactly what that something was. 

“Or maybe…” he began, shyly, hopefully, “we both win?” 

At first Shiro didn’t respond, just openly staring. Then he moved so fast, pulling Keith toward him even as he leaned forward. The younger man met him halfway, and then they were kissing, fast and craving and borderline chaotic. Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith before pressing him to the ground, the lengths of their bodies flush to one another from the waist down. Keith on the other hand was sliding his palms across Shiro’s chest, his shoulders, his thumbs across Shiro’s cheek lines before twining his fingers into those silver locks; as the two fell to the floor his elbow hit the Scrabble board on the way down sending an eruption of tiles scattering about them. Blissfully either unaware or unbothered they kept on, Keith rolling Shiro onto his back, further onto the bear skin rug in front of the fire. 

The desperate kisses slowed into a gentle but still deep fervor. It only ceased when they came up for air, panting. Shiro smiled dopily up at Keith before running his fingers across the bladesman’s temple, tucking a soft, black tress behind one of his ears. “I’ve been wanting to do that for ages.”

The admission caught Keith off guard. “Wha - really? Since when?!”

“Since I woke up in Black,” Shiro confessed, looking a bit bashful. “At least, that’s when I realized it. I’ve always had you close to my heart but I think it changed over the years. Then I woke up and it was a sudden rush and, well, given our history at the Garrison before I left, what with the mentorship and all…” He bit his lip. “I guess I felt guilty for feeling the way I did - the way I do. I got it in my head that it should have felt wrong and that just made the guilt worse when I realized everything felt so right instead. And it wasn’t until one of my first talks with Dr. Cohen that I realized there was nothing wrong with feeling this way, with loving you like this, whatsoever.”

“That’s why…!” Keith gasped in realization, sitting up a bit to see the full picture of the man below him. “The whole reason you switched to Green was because of that? I…” His brow furrowed and he looked away uncomfortably. “I thought I had done something wrong.”

A knuckle gently placed beneath Keith’s chin turned him back to face Shiro. The captain looked hard at the Black Paladin’s face, eyes surveying the distress he had caused his best friend. “I know. I figured it out after the Lions fell. When I came to your room after the speech you just… looked so surprised that I was there. It was terrible to see, to see what I had inadvertently done.” Shiro sighed, sliding his fingers into Keith’s hair, drawing strength from the gesture as if it gave himself comfort. “And then I wanted to make it up to you but suddenly Honerva was there and we were leaving Earth and I was the leader of forty people, not just four.” 

He grimaced with a wince. “But that’s all just an excuse. Clear Day would have been a perfect opportunity and I chickened out at the last second. I don’t even know why; I wanted to wander the festival with you. But I couldn’t find the words and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. I’m glad that you got to spend the day with Hunk - it brought the two of you closer together - but in the end I wished it was me.”

Keith gasped, his vision turning slightly glossy. “Shiro…”

The older pilot just shook his head. “I’m being selfish though. This isn’t about me; it’s about you and what you deserve. I want to be that person with you again - the one who went with you to the Marmora Headquarters and back, the one at the Garrison who rode hoverbikes across the dunes with you. The one you could trust to always be there for you and to never let you down.” Shiro fixed an intense, heartfelt look at him. “Keith, I never meant to hurt you and for that I’m so incredibly sorry.”

“You’re here.” Keith reiterated from before, the words choked out but clear. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Shiro’s. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“And you’ll have that and more, I promise.” The captain tightened his arms around Keith, holding his body secure to Shiro’s own. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

Keith slid his head down onto Shiro’s chest, his own filled with warmth and bursting to the brim. “Then get ready to be around for a long time.”

Shiro beamed in response. “I’m counting on it.” He pressed his lips gently to Keith’s, one kiss becoming two, three, before he swept the tip of his tongue across his love’s lower lip. With a groan Keith opened up beautifully to him, granting him entrance and pressing himself even harder against the man below him. From there the kisses became decidedly less chaste and far more provocative. Shiro traced his fingertips down Keith’s arm, clasping his hand and intertwining their fingers together. “So…” He started, his smile transforming into a smirk. His other hand trailed down Keith’s back before resting at the peak of his ass. He rubbed gentle yet suggestive circles into the Blade’s hip while also pulling him close, giving him a feel for just how hot and bothered he had made Shiro. And from the way Keith ground his hips urgently in return Shiro guessed the other man was in a similar state. “What do you think about pushing the two beds together?”

Keith looked up at Shiro, returning his grin. “Let’s do it.”

(And in the end, Keith got his prize of taking off those boxer-briefs after all.)

  
  
  
  


Fin  
  


(The next day…)

“What on Earth happened here?!” Pidge exclaimed when she saw the state of the living room: a lone Scrabble board half folded onto its side and numerous tiles scattered across the floor.

“Shiro and Keith must have stayed up after we all went to crash,” Hunk nonchalantly commented from where he stood in front of the stove. He flipped another pancake before continuing, “you know how competitive those two get.”

“Yeah,” Lance snorted from his spot at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in one hand and the other testing the dryness of his face mask. “My guess is Keith went feral and raged-quit. It’s a wonder the whole living room wasn’t destroyed.”

Pidge sighed and shook her head despondently. One of these days those two were going to come straight with each other about their feelings; maybe then they'd stop dancing around each other via their bizarre and competitive form of foreplay. As she reached for a coffee mug of her own, she idly wondered when the heck that would be.

  
  


True Fin

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I listened to Kenny G while writing the last bit of this. 
> 
> For the Sheith Prompt Party 2020. The prompt: “Sheith play lewd scrabble/pictionary”. Does stripping count as lewd? Probably not, but also this marks the first time I’ve ever written the word “cock” in one of my fics and I was blushing horribly the entire time.
> 
> P.S. I have never played Scrabble. Now I have both “rules for Scrabble” and “strip scrabble” in my search history.
> 
> Come help me support other content creators on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Omnidolor), or to chat about fandom or writing!


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